US launches new wave of strikes on Iran as ceasefire frays

U.S. forces have launched new strikes against Iran, placing further strain on a ceasefire that has been under increasing strain in recent days.

U.S. Central Command said in a statement Tuesday that the “powerful” attacks were launched in response to Iranian forces attacking three commercial vessels. The Defense Department combatant command accused Iran of “targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway,” saying Iranian actions in the Strait of Hormuz were “unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire.”

In a second statement announcing the completion of the strikes, U.S. Central Command said over 80 targets were hit, including more than 60 Iranian military small boats in and near the Strait of Hormuz, along with Iranian air defense systems, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and command networks.

The military action came hours after President Donald Trump revoked a license that allowed Iran to sell oil, a permission granted as part of the memorandum of understanding that kickstarted peace negotiations with Iran last month.

The U.S. carried out the strikes as Trump visits Turkey for the NATO summit, where he reiterated his frustration with European allies for what he views as insufficient support for the war launched with Israel on Feb. 28.

The strikes are the first by U.S. forces against Iranian targets since June 26, when U.S. officials similarly said they were responding to “unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping” in violation of the countries’ ceasefire agreement.

Officials from both countries met in Qatar last week for the latest round of talks despite Washington and Tehran launching the late June attacks in the preceding days. U.S. special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff led those talks, which ended without significant progress.

Control over the Strait of Hormuz has been a persistent point of tension between the two nations. Trump lifted a U.S. blockade on the strait as part of the ceasefire agreement, and Iran agreed under the terms of the memorandum of understanding to cease attacks on vessels passing through the strait. Iran had sought to control traffic through the crucial waterway, which facilitates transfer of roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil, in response to the U.S. and Israel launching the war.

About 50,000 American troops remain stationed in the region despite the peace deal signed by the two countries’ leaders last month. Pentagon officials have said they expect to maintain that force level for most of the summer, as a long-term deal is negotiated.

Both the House and Senate last month approved a resolution to end military strikes against Iran, which were initially launched without congressional approval. But the White House has dismissed the measure as a political statement without the force of law.